The Sky Shall Unfold

The Sky Shall Unfold

    I love the song, "We Shall Behold Him," which begins with the lyrics, "The sky shall unfold, preparing His entrance.  The stars shall applaud Him with thunders of praise!  The sweet light in His eyes shall enhance those awaiting, and we shall behold Him, then face to face."

    When I saw the way the light shone from this vast cloud formation, offering just a glimpse of beautiful blue high above, it made me think about the coming day when, indeed, the sky will unfold and the long-awaited Rapture will take place.

   The Latin word rapturo, meaning "caught up," is where we get the word "rapture," which describes what will happen when Christ returns in the clouds to gather up all the Christians on earth, just before the 7-year tribulation begins.  At that time, all Christians and very young children will be whisked up to the loving arms of Jesus in heaven.

    Paul wrote two lovely letters to the young Christian church in Thessalonica while he was in Ephesus during his second missionary journey - around 52 A.D.  He was working as a tent maker, staying with Aquila and Priscilla, two Jewish tent makers who were also Christians.  God revealed truths about the future to Paul and the Holy Spirit lead him to write a wonderful comforting passage, not only to those Christians whom he loved, but also to you and me nearly 2000 years later.  Here is an excerpt from that letter, taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18:

    "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.  And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.  And thus we shall always be with the Lord.  Therefore comfort one another with these words."

    Sometimes when I hear a sudden loud sound, I'll look up and wonder if that is going to be the moment.  One of these days, it will signal the sound of His coming and I, along with millions of others, will zip upwards and finally meet Jesus face to face.  We will be welcomed into Paradise and begin a wonderful eternal Adventure that will bring us delight each and every day.  As an old hymn says, "Oh, what a day that will be!"  

    I sure hope I'll see you up there too (:

--Photo:  I took the picture above when we were sailing through Glacier Bay in Alaska in 2014.

 

Yad - Hand

YAD - HAND

    The interesting piece in the above photo is called a "yad," which in Hebrew translates to "hand."  This yad is currently on display at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia.  The beautifully wrought silver yad was created in the 1970s by Michael Ende, an Israeli born in 1945.

    I especially like the way a Star of David sits atop a box at the top of the yad.  I don't know what the box represents, but I do know that the Star of David appears on the flag of Israel, and is an important symbol of the Jewish people.

    The hand at the base of the yad is used to point to the words written across the Torah scroll as they are read. You might say, the yad (or hand) is actually pointing us to the Word of God.

    It was the House of Israel, the Jewish people, with whom God made His Old Testament covenant.  He promised Abraham that He would make he and his family into a great nation because they are His chosen people.  God said, "I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.  I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed," Genesis 12:2-3.

    We should also remember the command and accompanying promise God gives us in His Word, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; they shall prosper who love thee," Psalm 122:6KJV.

    When God said He would bless the families of the earth through the seed of Abraham, He was referring to sending His Son, the Messiah Jesus Christ through that seed, and blessing the entire earth through His great gift of redemption.  And so God did, as we can see through the genealogical record of Jesus in Matthew 1, and the words of Jesus on the cross when He paid the price for the sins of all with His own blood, and said, "It is finished," John 19:30.

    Thinking of the yad pointing to God's Word, we hold to David's words in Psalm 119:105, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path."  Later, he writes, "Direct my steps by Your word," 119:133, and "I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure," 119:162.

    

    God's Word is truly a great treasure -- it's the very words of God, written down for us like a love letter from the hands of Almighty God, to help us get to know Him better; to help us learn what He has done for us, and how we are to live in ways that please Him.  He even tells us the future in His grand letter.  What a wonderful Father we have who would reveal Himself and His plans to little ole you and me!  Thank you, God, for the amazing grace you have given to us through Your Word!

 

Let it Go!

     Disney has gotten a lot of things very wrong lately and I'm heartily disappointed in them.  But, there is one phrase in one song that they got very right and that is - "Let it go!"

    You may be one of those people who cringe when you hear those words that you've heard a million times - and you're so over it.  Nevertheless, there is great value in their meaning (and I happen to love hearing that phrase sung!).

    The wisdom in those words is far-reaching.  There are many struggles, dilemmas and obstacles in life that can be overcome if you just let go of -- your fear, your bitterness, your anger, your sorrow, your pride, your hatred -- whatever it is that you are holding onto that is causing internal and/or external damage to your peace, purpose and power.  You need to let it go!

    These issues can be like a tiny pebble in your shoe that irritates with each step and makes serious walking almost impossible.  The pebble needs to be removed before you can make significant progress in your life journey.

    Like getting rid of an annoying pebble, hold your issue up to the light of God's love and ask Him to take it away.  You may need to forgive, and God will help you do that.  Then -- here's where that famous phrase comes into play -- let it go.  Throw it out into the cosmos and watch it disappear.  

    It doesn't mean that issue never happened; it doesn't mean someone was not in the wrong for hurting you; it doesn't mean your heart wasn't broken.  In no way does it negate whatever happened to you, but it does allow you to heal and move on with your life, freed from the burden of holding onto that hurt, fear, anger, sorrow, bitterness, pride, hatred, etc.  You don't have to remain a prisoner of that issue anymore.  Let it go and wave a joyous 'good-bye and good riddance!'

    Praise God!  The freedom you will feel after letting it go is amazing!  

    Scripture applauds such action, saying, "And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you," Ephesians 4:32.

    And further, as we note the phrase on the Frozen T-shirt in the photo, if we will trust our journey to God, the joy, freedom, peace, power and purpose we'll enjoy in our lives will be so much greater:  "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths," Proverbs 3:5-6.

    No, Disney doesn't always get it right and neither do we, but we know Who does.  If we'll seek the Lord and His ways, He tells us that He will be found by us.  He'll help us to let go what we need to let go of, and to grasp onto what we need to hold onto -- and that would be Him, our Lord, God Almighty who loves us with an everlasting love!  Now that's something we must never let go of!

Words to Live By

 WORDS TO LIVE BY

    This picture was in the window of a bakery I stopped in recently.  Although I enjoyed the very sweet macaron I ate, this phrase made the biggest impression on me.  Imagine if everyone lived by these words and spoke kindly to those around them.  Imagine if we gave people the benefit of the doubt rather than jumping to negative conclusions.  Imagine if we shared a spirit of encouragement with those we come in contact with -- especially those we live with.

    Think of all the people throughout history who spent their lives digging for gold.  In most cases, all they found was dirt and worthless rocks.  But, some of them actually found gold.  Finding gold usually brought good things into their lives.  Sometimes it takes a lot of digging through dirt to find the gold, but it's worth it -- especially when it comes to people.

    Here are some verses from God's Word to live by:

---"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers," Ephesians 4:29.

---"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ forgave you," Ephesians 4:32.

---Interestingly, this one is considered the Golden Rule:  "And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise," Luke 6:31.

---Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another," John 13:34.

    Finding gold within another person is finding worth, and as we've often heard, "God doesn't create junk."  He created each person with a good purpose.  Now, that golden purpose might have fallen into the dirt at some point, but it's still there and if you can encourage that person by acknowledging that you see that gold shimmering below the surface, it can be a powerful motivator.  The famous poet Maya Angelou wrote, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

    Here are God's words that we can not only take to our own hearts, but we can share them with those who need to be reminded that they were created for a good and golden purpose: "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future," Jeremiah 29:11 NIV.

    My words of encouragement for us to live by:  Go for the Gold - always!